When All Hope Seems Gone

In the 45 years I’ve lived as a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, I have learned that hope is a precious thing. Paralyzed without the use of my hands or legs—yet I thrive on hope!

My heart goes out to those who are in despair for lack of hope. Take the story of 15-year-old Danielle, a winning gymnast who sustained a serious spinal cord injury to her neck in 2012. I received the following email from Holly, Danielle’s aunt:

The atmosphere in the ICU around Danielle was horrible. Our family was so devastated when her surgeon told us that she would never walk again. At that point my niece could only lift her arms about six inches. She had no other movement anywhere. My brother Dan choked out the words, “Do you know anyone with the Joni Eareckson Tada organization?” I knew who you were because I had read your first book. I called your office and spoke with your assistant, Judy. She called Dan right away. Joni, before we talked with Judy we were experiencing the deepest pain over Danielle’s accident. But then Judy called us and everything changed. We had hope! Hope for a possible recovery, no matter what her recovery would look like. We were all ready to dig in, pray, and do everything we could for our beautiful Danielle. So I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. —Holly

I was astonished by Holly’s email. I asked Judy, “What did you say to give them such hope? Did you promise she’d be healed or something?” Judy explained, “I just told them that her injury was still so recent and she had time to recover at least a little strength and movement ... I reminded them that this was an opportunity to come together as a family as never before ... and that this was a time to put into practice everything they had ever learned from God’s Word.”

“That’s it?” I responded. Judy smiled and nodded yes. Danielle’s story goes to show how far just a little hope can lift a hurting heart. That’s how potent hope is. It’s like a small candle glowing in a dark room—the flame is so tiny and the room is so big, yet the light from the little candle dispels the darkness. Hope is like holding onto the thin string of a powerful kite—the string is so thin in your hand, yet it connects to a force that can almost lift you off the ground!

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